Looking for some local help Sept 8-9 - Ft. Pickens, Alabama Point, etc

[Lizard Leg]

Trying to get some bottom time in that weekend, and thinking abotu driving over and doing the Ft. Pickens Jetty and the Alabama Point Seawall/Jetty and maybe other locations as well.

3 divers, all OW, but newly - me, my wife, and our son (17). All very comfortable in the water - just looking for someone to show us the lay of the land.

Please PM me if you'd like to head out with us. Will be driving in from Lousiana, so need to get something setup ahead of time to get tanks, gear rented. Me and the wife have our own kits, but need tanks, and son would need the full workup (BC,Reg, Weights, tanks, etc.).

Thanks!

 

[DocCarl]

Tides are very early in the morning at both locations that weekend. Pickens will most likely be dive able in the afternoon, the Pass may or may not be. As long as my schedule doesn't change I'll be happy to meet up with you guys and show you around!


Carl

 

[Lizard Leg]

Thanks! I was looking at the tide charts myself. Everythign I have seen says to do these dives at slack high tide - how much difference is there in low slack tide?
Since I've never dived the area, I hope I'm looking at the right tide chart, but it looks like the 8th would be best between 3 and 6 PM, and Sunday between 4 and 7. Thoughts?

Any other spots/suggestions to hit that weekend?

 

[BearGrizzle]

There can be a big difference in speed of the current. Me and DocCarl were at Pickens last thursday and we had some decent current before the high tide. Once it goes back the other way, it can get pretty stout again. But, I have never been there and it was un-divable. May have to hold onto rocks a little bit, but it's a good dive. Also, check out our page at gulfcoastdivesociety.org, it will redirect you to our Facebook page with over 300 members and is VERY ACTIVE with people posting trips and so forth. Would love to catch up with ya'll sometime and hit it up!

 

[Lizard Leg]

Okay - after looking at the tid charts (here's the one I am using) 2012 Tide Table for Pensacola, Florida (West Coast) for fishing <º(((><

Seems as if Sept 1-2 would be a much better choice to do Ft. Pickens. Which tide site do I need to look at for Alabama Point?

 

[DocCarl]

Cool tide website!

Many of us typically use saltwatertides.com because it lets you pick the specific station closest to your point of interest. For example, for Ft. Pickens I select "Pensacola Bay Entrance". Tide predictions are just that- - -predictions- - - and 'Pickens is notorious for turning an hour or more early. Here's how I typically dive 'Pickens: If high tide is predicted for 11:00am, I try to arrive at the park around 8:00 or so if I'm planning for two average hour-long dives. I almost always discover somewhat better conditions on the first dive when compared to the second. A good day at 'Pickens will give you around 20-25' of viz will little to light current. A rare excellent day may yield 40'.

'Pickens is often diveable in between high and low, but it's not uncommon for viz to be reduced to 8-10' and for the current to be significantly stronger than that before high tide. I highly suggest wearing gloves at this site. If the current kicks up, it's easy to hang on to the rocks to prevent fatigue from swimming against the current. Diving at or around low tide can be OK, too. You'll have less current, although the viz is usually a bit less: think 10-15'.

September 1-2 looks to be neap tide. There should be less tidal change and therefore less current in-between. Viz may be around 20' most of the day, if we're lucky. I'd dive it and bring my camera!



Regarding Perdido Pass i.e. (Alabama Point)

The pass is much less forgiving than 'Pickens. The walk is longer, and the entry involves crawling over jetty rocks in full gear. Due to the rocky surf entry, you really want pretty calm surface conditions. Additionally, the narrowest point of the pass is much more narrow than the entrance to Pensacola Bay. Look at a satellite image and you'll see what I mean. Because of the way the sea wall directs incoming tidal flow under the bridge, there can be significant current past a certain point even when diving promptly at 'high tide'. For the same reasons, it's best to hit the Pass no more than an Hour before high tide and to be very aware of how the current changes as you progress through the dive.
To get a tidal prediction for Perdido Pass, look up the Dauphin Island tide prediction on Saltwatertides.com and add 17 minutes. For the 'pass: If high tide is at 8:00am, I'm looking at the conditions from the seawall about an hour and a half early. If it looks ok, we'll splash around 7.


Hope this helps!!!


Carl

 

[Lizard Leg]

Thanks! I've been using that site for a while to print tides to bring down to Eleuthera for free diving - almost every where you go on the island is deserted so you better know the tides before you get in, since there are some places you're the only heartbeat for miles around.

I saved all of the above info - if we switched to Sept 1-2, would you still be good to show us the ropes that weekend? As to the walking in full gear, well, I get in the water and gear up or do a seated entry off the boat. I have a prosthetic leg and the "dive leg" ankle assembly doesn't support the weight of me and a full kit.

 

[ReefHound]

Perdido Pass - there used to be a little space between the rocks near where the wall starts and a small sandy area that you could just walk in. Has that changed?

 

[DocCarl]

Thanks! I've been using that site for a while to print tides to bring down to Eleuthera for free diving - almost every where you go on the island is deserted so you better know the tides before you get in, since there are some places you're the only heartbeat for miles around.

I saved all of the above info - if we switched to Sept 1-2, would you still be good to show us the ropes that weekend? As to the walking in full gear, well, I get in the water and gear up or do a seated entry off the boat. I have a prosthetic leg and the "dive leg" ankle assembly doesn't support the weight of me and a full kit.

Sept. 1-2 should be no problem. You'll find Ft. Pickens to be a very accessible site. A handful of steps to cross the seawall, and a short walk down the beach to the entry point. We recently lost our 'divers' parking' at Perdido pass . Currently, the ony guaranteed-to-not-tow-your-truck-while-you're-underwater option is to park way down the seawall at the public parking and walk the entire length of the seawall to the entry point: which then requires a crawl over the big jetty rocks, sometimes with waves.


Where are you guys staying? Have you thought about St. Andrews?



Carl

---------- Post Merged at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:56 PM ----------

Perdido Pass - there used to be a little space between the rocks near where the wall starts and a small sandy area that you could just walk in. Has that changed?

Kinda.

You still enter at that point, but there's no rock-free sandy spot. Gotta climb.

 

[Lizard Leg]

Depends on where we are diving as to where we are staying. Probably going to stay at a Holiday Inn Express close by - have tons of points to burn, so hotel is free.